It's interesting to note that this film was made just one year after An American Werewolf in London, just as the original followed The Wolf Man by just a year. Both Cat films, I suspect, were made to cash in on their earlier lycanthropic counterparts. The difference here is that the 1942 version managed to at least equal Wolf Man in quality, while London remains to be topped.(read more...)

This masterpiece of cinema sets its theme on the subject of war, the ultimate of human horrors. Victor Francen (The Beast with Five Fingers) does a magnificent portrayal of Jean Diaz, a French soldier of World War I, who volunteers to take the place of a comrade (who is the father of four children) in a suicide mission of twelve men. It is the day of Armistice, and ten return dead, one missing, and one wounded. While giving Last Rites to the fallen soldiers, a groan is heard from under a covering. It is of Jean Diaz who is now strangely alive and is placed on a hospital cat beside the other injured survivor who reaches to him taking his hand and dies as if to give his life for Jean.(read more...)

This is the one that began Hammer's revival of Gothic horror. Up until the time this was made, horror in the 50s consisted of giant monsters or atomic fiends. This took horror back to its roots, and threw in color and a heightened sexual awareness at no extra charge. Director Terence Fisher and writer Jimmy Sangster should be commended for the excellent work they do here.(read more...)

That's right! The votes are in, and some last minute votes brought in a few favorites to the top 10. Voting in the 1st Annual Caligari's Cabinet Awards occurred between November 1st and December 31st, 1999 and was open to all readers of Classic-Horror.

James Whale, George Romero, John Carpenter, Jacques Tourneur, and Sam Raimi each had more than one movie on the top 25. Whale had three (Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein, and Old Dark House), the most of any director. Actors figured just as prominently, with Bruce Campbell, Dwight Frye, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Ernest Thesiger, and Edward Van Sloan garnering at least two films each on the list (Karloff and Frye both had three).(read more...)